The much publicised Mitsubishi Electric aircon with much publicity by Jack Neo is overhyped and overpriced.

It's key selling point is the ease of DIY cleaning.

But the fact is that with frequent opening and closing of the casing, the plastic will crack easily (plastic will harden over time).

Cleaning an air con is not so easy as to wipe here and there DIY.

It requires technical expertise, to also suck out the dirt from the piping, chemical cleaning, checking of air con gas etc.

Mitsubishi Electric air con used to be one of the cheapest in the mkt, but since the Jack Neo fanfare came about, it became the most expensive with unjustified prices.

actually some of the points below are not true:

(4) Bank interest rate is almost non-existent. So if you don't hv the stomach to buy stocks or do biz, i guess property is the next best thing

(6) A lot of single name ILPs have "projected" return of 3.6%.. pretty pathetic considering the kind of risk you are exposed too..

6 Reasons Why You Should NOT Repay Your Housing Loan Early

Dennis Ng from www.HousingLoanSG.com, a leading Mortgage Consultancy portal, has been helping and advising many people with regards to housing loan. One of his advice is not to repay your housing loan early, even if you have the capability to do so. Why? You must be thinking it is so contrary to what was often preached – be debt free as soon as possible! Dennis does have very valid points:

1) It is the cheapest loan

Housing loan is the cheapest loan you can ever get from banks. The interest is about 3-4% and you compare it to car loan (7%), unsecured personal loan (14%) and credit card loan (24%). You can see the contrasting difference! Don’t you think you should leverage on the cheapest loan available to you?

2) Your networth remains the same

Repaying your housing loan early does not increase your net worth. This is because you are just taking your cash from your bank and putting it into the house. Worse, you are actually freezing your cash.

3) Losing your life and money

Having a mortgage insurance can help you in the event of death or total disability, where your loan will be paid off by the insurance. The cash or CPF monies can be left for your beneficiaries. If you have repaid the loan using your cash and CPF, you would have lost this advantage.

4) Opportunity Cost

With the cash in hand, you can invest and generate better returns. Rather than being cash strapped, you have the purchasing power to pick up real bargain stocks when the market crashes. Again, it will not be possible if you have your money locked in the house.

5) Use Interest Offset Loan

With an interest offset loan, you can earn interest on your cash to offset 100% of your housing loan interest you pay on your loan. This equates to repaying your loan, but with the liquidity of your cash where you can deploy when good investment opportunity arises.

6) Buy Single Premium Endowment

If you do not know how to invest and would want to avoid all ‘risky’ products, you can buy a single premium endowment, maybe for 20 years at 3.5% annual return. This would be able to offset your housing loan interest.

will be putting up doors with flosted glass panel so that the lights from window can hit the corridor outside the bedroom

Parent Migration http://www.ntrust.com.sg/family-migration-to-australia/
At NTRUST, we are committed to helping you sponsor your parent(s) living outside Australia.
To sponsor your parents, you need to be:
an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen and;
you have been resident in Australia for a minimum period of 2 years and;
your parent(s) passes the balance of family test (ie. 50% of your parent’s children must reside in Australia)
Whilst there is no age limit applicable for the parent visas, the health and character requirements will apply.
When approved, your parent will have full work rights, multiple re-entry travel facility as well as being able to access Medicare.

There is no place for RPs in SAFPU !!!!! The place is crawling with MPs !!!!! Why would SAFPU need RPs ??????!!!!!RPs-wannabes just need to go SAFPU SOP for a 2 weeks course. Then they will be posted out to various camps ie tengah air base, tekong.Basically what u r doing is............ Guard Duty. At night you will be the only ones around.... walking around the camp in the wee hours... moon-bathing or in Tekong case, night-fishing..... etcSome place they work as 24hrs duty, 24hrs off, follow by office hours, follow by standby 24hrs. Weekend and holidays if kena your shift for duty then u LPPL.Different camps different system. But be prepared to burn your holidays and weekends.

if u get FDS course for RP.. then forget about the 2 weeks course... i just came out from TAB FDS... haha.. was a 3months course of tekan but now all of my friends posted here and there.. well, RPs like me get combet pay...

mobray camp quite awhile don't have RP course already

Military Police (MP) had moved from the old camp (Ulu Pandan Camp) to the new Mowbray Camp at "Mobray Road" near the Kranji Detention Barracks, Police Dog Unit and the new Kranji Camp. Pls do note that Mowbray Camp is not Kranji Camp !!There are 7 companies in SAFPU :-APC :- Deals in Guard-of-Honour Parade, Istana Guards, Traffic Platoon, and the famous SPDS (Slient Precision Drill Squad). ZPC :- Conduct Operation eg Camp Inspection, Escorts of Detainees and Paperworks of the detainees to Detention Barracks.SB :- Investigate classified cases and CP. (Close Protection)SIB :- InvestigatorsSOP :- Train future MPs, and RPs. Conduct Basic SPDS CoursesHQ :- HQ lah...DB :- Detention Barracks. in other words, prison guards lor...And for RPs, their powers are not that great as MP possess.. Its a 2 week very lobo courses. Most probably you will learn the basic of "how to handcuff properly"and "the Military Law Chapter 295", "turnout and discipline" etc.Very lobo one lah.... then u will be posted out to other camps.. basically security like check for pass of visitors going into your camp eg. No SOC required, no chiong hill chiong sea.If unlucky during your time got war, Military Police will be the biggest f***. Even the SPF will come under MP. The powers of MP wil be very great in war times.Military Police is the only service vocation which are paid combat pay.

A radiologist is a doctor who specializes in the interpretation of medical images such as MR scans, CT scans, radiographs, nuclear medicine scans, mammograms and sonograms.A radiologic technologist or radiographer is the x-ray tech - the person who takes the x-rays for the radiologist to read.Radiology is the branch of medicine that uses radiation for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Radiography is the process by which radiographs (x-rays) are made.The radiologist is a doctor so he or she makes a lot more money

MEDICAL SCHOOLS RECOGNISED BY THE SINGAPORE MEDICAL COUNCIL

Country
Institution
Australia

1
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Adelaide
2
School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia
3
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne
4
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University
5
School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle
6
Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales
7
Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Queensland Medical School
8
Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney
9
Faculty of Health Science, University of Tasmania
10
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Australia

Do you know any good medical fiction?
I recently read a book called "The Laws of Invisible Things" about a doctor investigating a mysterious disease. It was a really cool mystery novel and very realisitc. It was written by a doctor.So I'm wondering if you can recommend other good books in the genre of medical fiction. Something that deals with viruses, infections, etc. I don't mean a huge apocalyptic outbreak and not going over into science fiction either. Has Michael Crichton written something like this maybe? "Andromeda Strain" was cool, but I'm looking for more everyday medical practice, dealing with patients, etc. Nothing supernatural, as close to reality as possible.

PandemicResistanceRage TherapyBlood LiesCold PlagueAll by Daniel Kalla

Look up about anything from Michael Cook or Crichton. Coma was great. Try a used book store-they could probably give you some great input as well

Robin Cook and Michael Palmer both write medical fiction

the reason why i would at anytime choose utas is that i'm actually interested in doing rural medicine, which utas is tops in. (: and utas has a smaller med population. which means more personal attention. and very honestly, i like tas more than nsw. the quiet city. the very friendly people. i like the town.

What period of the year can one expect to get wind in Singapore? The surface wind conditions over Singapore depend on the monsoon. The Northeast Monsoon which prevails over the period December to March experiences a high percentage (about 32 percent) of winds from the NNE direction. Winds from the NNE can exceed 8 m/sec, the strongest during the year. During the Southwest Monsoon, winds are less vigorous than during the Northeast Monsoon and the most frequently occurring winds are from the south and south-east, although southwesterlies are also fairly well represented. During the inter-monsoon periods, winds, especially during April and May, are weak and are more evenly distributed over all compass directions. During the October/November inter-monsoon period, winds are weakest from the south-east quadrant. An important feature of the weather in Singapore during the Southeast Monsoon is the squalls, locally known as "Sumatras". Please refer to ScienceNet Question 1823.

Step into my tiny dollhouse
By Fiona Chan
As a little girl, the one toy I really really wanted was a dollhouse.
Sure, I had plenty of other things to play with. I made my Care Bears kiss each other, paraded around my Strawberry Shortcake handbag and meticulously dressed up all my Barbie dolls.
I also dressed up my He-Man action figures - in the name of gender equality - although it was hard to find outfits to complement Skeletor's skin tone.
But every time I passed a toy store, I would peer longingly at the dollhouses, scrupulously built to scale, within.
I would admire the pocket-sized funiture, the real lights that switched on and off, and the tiny curtains on the tiny windows.
I'd marvel at the teeny dolls that came with the houses, imagining how I would make them walk through the diminutive doors, greet their doll families and toddle away to be tucked into their midget beds.
Long after I put away Barbie and He-Man, I still lingered at the dollhouse sections in toy stores, trying to persuade myself that it was a good idea to spend hundreds of dollars on a useless frivolity.
Then, last month, I got my wish. I came into possession of my very own dollhouse in the form of my new 700 sq ft apartment.
Okay, before I go on, I had better state all the necessary qualifiers in case angry readers come and burn down my block.
I know that 700 sq ft - which is about the size of a three-room HDB flat - is better than nothing. Loads of people in Singapore live happily in such spaces, or even smaller ones. In fact I'm lucky to have my own place at all, given that there are homeless people in war-torn countries eating tree bark to survive.
Now that that's done with, can I please say how tiny 700 sq ft really is?
I should explain that mine is one of those newfangled apartments that has a huge balcony taking up a good 100 sq ft of space. That doesn't leave much room to put furniture that isn't waterproof.
The apartment is also a two-bedroom unit, which means each bedroom is about as big as a bed. It's what property agents like to call 'veeerrry cosy'.
My bathroom - singular - is so small that the sink has to be placed outside, because after putting in the toilet and the shower cubicle, there's no space left for it.
Then there's the living room, which can accommodate only a sofa that is 1.8m long. There are maybe 10 sofas being sold in all of Singapore that are 1.8m long.
Yes, I exaggerate. But last week, I visited the showroom of a local sofa retailer in my umpteenth attempt to find a couch.
Standing in the store, dwarfed by sofas that looked about the size of my master bedroom, I timidly asked the salesman if they had anything smaller to offer.
No, he said politely, all their sofas were at least 2m long. But I could try their other outlet which sold furniture that was more - here he paused delicately, looking for a word for play-sized - 'funky'.
It was the same scenario at most other shops I went to. They would have, at most, one model that could fit my living room, and it would usually be fairly ugly.
The sofa hunt became so frustrating that I realised there may be a reason so many furniture shops here have yoga-like names: Air. Space. Om. Ohmm.
Eventually we had to custom-make a two-seater. I won't bore you with the details, but it's become clear that we can entertain at most two guests in our apartment at any one time.
I bring all this up not to complain about my claustrophobia or even to recommend that furniture shops downsize their products.
It is to warn others who may, like me, have bought their dream apartment off a floor plan and don't really know how big - or small - a few hundred sq ft really is.
This is potentially a, well, large problem because over the last few years, developers have been selling a growing number of shoebox-sized apartments. The smallest on record is just over 300 sq ft, which means you could fit eight or nine of them in a single tennis court.
While the units cost a tidy amount per sq ft, the total price is very palatable, which is why there are buyers aplenty. But there's a reason these tiny units are termed 'Mickey Mouse homes' - and it's not because you can swing a cat in them.
Tiny flats are already the norm in other space-starved cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York, and perhaps it's a matter of time before Singapore follows suit.
But until then, there is something to be said for being able to walk from one end of your bedroom to the other without having to climb over the bed.
So if I had my way, I would leave the miniature furniture where they belong - in the real dollhouses.

'Shoebox' units may wilt under URA's gaze
By KALPANA RASHIWALA
The new breed of 'shoebox' private apartments may have caught the imagination, but don't expect them to invade the housing landscape. Some may not even get the planning authority's approval, going forward, if recent decisions are any guide.
Earlier this month, Singapore saw its smallest ever apartment unit - at 258 square feet - being put on the market at the Suites@Guillemard project. While this made headlines, BT understands that the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) recently turned down some applications involving apartments below 28 square metres (or about 300 sq ft).
Related link:» Step into my tiny dollhouse
Apart from the size, the layout of the proposed micro units may also have been a factor. For instance, if an apartment does not adequately provide for a kitchen, it may resemble a hotel room rather than a residential development.
When contacted, URA said that it does not stipulate that private housing units should be of a minimum size or that a development should have a certain mix of unit sizes. However, it said: 'We have observed that some developers have been building smaller apartment units.
'URA will continue to monitor private housing development trends and ensure that our planning guidelines stay relevant in providing a quality living environment for our residents.'
The market has seen a surge in transactions of shoebox units, generally defined as below 500 sq ft, this year. BT understands that one issue that the authorities are grappling with is whether there is a real need for such apartments.
Since February, developers have found it easy to sell smallish apartments as their lumpsum unit price is affordable to a bigger pool of buyers.
This has also made it easier for speculators to jump on the bandwagon. Hence, the concern is that shoebox units fuel property speculation.
Another issue is whether buyers who buy such micro units off-plan realise what they are in for.
Ho Bee Investment chairman and CEO Chua Thian Poh said: 'When you buy a 200-300 sq ft unit off-plan, you may not realise how small it is. But when you see the finished product, you'll know how cramped it is. It's not very liveable. I would rather stay in Housing Board flats. The size is much bigger, and the price quantum is not too far off.'
If 'normal' tenants like expatriates, foreign students and Singaporean yuppies do not wish to live in such small units, shoebox unit owners may push their properties to those who prefer shorter-term usage, including those in 'hourly-rate businesses', as one analyst put it.
DTZ executive director (consulting) Ong Choon Fah said that there could be a potential supply-demand mismatch if the trend of 'mickey mouse' apartments picks up.
'We could have a situation where there are a lot of apartments but not the type that people would want to live in.'
Some argue that it is too early to rule out leasing interest for such units from single expats on small housing budgets.
However, Ho Bee executive director Ong Chong Hua said: 'Those who do shoebox apartments will tell you there's a rental market for such units. But if I'm a single expat, assuming I want to live in this kind of shoebox apartment development, then I must also consider the profile of the people who'll be my neighbours. I think it is only natural to assume they'll not be the normal neighbours you would expect in a typical housing development.'
Apart from 'shoebox' units, other smallish units have surfaced since February. These include two-bedders starting from about 750 sq ft and three bedders from around 900 sq ft.
Developers can try to push for a higher per square foot selling price by having smaller units so long as the overall lumpsum quantum does not cross the typical HDB upgrader's budget, which could be $1 million.
DTZ's Mrs Ong also said that the trend of shoebox apartments could also have a social impact, as seen in Hong Kong. 'People have breakfast, lunch and dinner outside, and spend most of their time out of their homes as they don't wish to be cooped up within four walls. But this may not be conducive to developing family life, which Singapore is trying to promote.'
Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore CEO Steven Choo said that 'it is not inconceivable that, in future, 200-300 sq ft apartments could become popular in Singapore as already seen in Central London where 40 per cent of all households are single-person households'.
'There are districts populated with studio apartments catering to lawyers, financial industry professionals and students,' he added.
However, CBRE executive director (residential) Joseph Tan said that since most of Singapore's population live in HDB flats, the size of public housing units set the base.
'Unlike London and Hong Kong where people may not have much choice but to squeeze into a shoebox unit, in Singapore people have the option of buying or renting a HDB flat.'
Agreeing, ERA associate director Eugene Lim noted that even an expat on a small housing budget can rent an HDB flat on the open market.
'Of course, there won't be any swimming pool or gym, whereas a resident of even a shoebox unit in a private apartment development or condo would be entitled to enjoy these facilities,' he added.

THE book, Men in White, is supposed to be an objective history of the struggle within the People's Action Party, but I found it baffling to be given quite a prominent mention in it. What have I got to do with the political struggle described in Men In White?I cannot understand why it could not have been done with due care to a person's reputation. On page 441, (which describes why lawyer Francis Seow was asked to resign as Solicitor-General in 1971), it says: 'But in 1971, after a Police raid on his woman friend's apartment, he used his influence and friendship with the then Director of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Yoong Siew Wah, to have four officers who had conducted the raid sacked. The Attorney General Tan Boon Teik intervened to reinstate the four officers. Seow was allowed to resign rather than have his actions investigated because of his track record in the legal service. Yoong was also asked to quit.'If the authors had checked with me, I would have told them that the CPIB was duty-bound to investigate any formal complaint made by any complainant. In Mr Seow's case, he made a formal complaint and CPIB carried out investigations of the four detectives concerned. The investigation papers were sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who made the decision to dismiss the detectives. There was never any question that I was asked to quit. You may care to check with the Internal Security Department (ISD) that I was appointed its director after my CPIB stint.Do you think that a little note of correction in your newspaper is in order to preserve my reputation?Yoong Siew WahEDITOR'S NOTE: The authors thank Mr Yoong for the feedback. What they wrote in the book was based on newspaper reports in 1986, which said that he had been boarded out as a result of the incident with Mr Seow. They apologise for not getting back to Mr Yoong to verify the reports and will do a correction in the next reprint of the book

Was told to just send in whatever document and if unemployed, to declare a SD. They will look at the combine income of both my S.O. and me(zero) and will base on the 40% of combine gross basic monthly income(does not include any OT) to calculate the maximum HDB loan. If the maximum HDB loan does not cover the total required for the payment, the remaining amount will have to be paid by other means. by cash/CPF, commercial bank loans, borrow, rob, steal.. If unable to make the payment, one will have 3 other options. 1) write in a letter to sales side to appeal for a delay in application for HDB loan. 2) write in a letter to sales side to appeal for a delay in key collection. (the above 2 is limited to the time where the last in the Queue. which is only about a few months max.) 3) In event that one still can't make the payment. One will have to withdraw from the application as one is unable to fulfill the "agreement to buy" contract signed in 2004. This "agreement to buy" does not guaranty that one will be able to get the unit. When ask if there are any other options, was told there isn't. when ask again, they just keep quiet. They give the cold feeling that if you are poor, sorry, we are doing a business, please go out. Tried calling to the sales side(our manager in charge) was told the appeal for delay won't give much time. was told to find other means to get the money. And again, same thing in event that one is unable to raise money to fulfill the contract. failure to fulfill contract equals to contract being void = withdraw. When ask that currently I don't have a job, doesn't mean that I will never get a job. and even if I have a job now. it does not mean that I will still have a job tomorrow. But was told that they can't see the future and can only based on today's status. sigh....

WITH the three-day holiday coming this weekend, you may be thinking of taking a trip. Should you buy travel insurance? If so, which offers the best value for money?

TEXT & ILLUSTRATION: LARRY HAVERKAMP & MAROO
I've done some research to help you decide.
Who sells travel insurance? Do you really need it?
All the major insurers sell travel insurance including NTUC Income, GE Life, AIA, AXA, HSBC and Tokio Marine.
Like other insurance, it involves the same pooling concept: A group can absorb an unexpected loss more easily than an individual. It is worthwhile.
Who offers the best deal?
In the Asean region, the clear-cut winner is NTUC Income's Classic Plan.
Asean includes the big three destinations: Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. It also includes Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos.
The seven-day cost is $30 for adults and $7.50 for children under 21 years of age. It is about 25 per cent less than competitors.
Outside of Asean, NTUC Income has raised its premiums from 1 Jul.
Its seven-day charge for 'worldwide' destinations is $61 for adults and $15.25 for children. It is double the Asean rates but in line with what its competitors charge.
One possibility is that higher worldwide rates reflect the 'ability to pay' of wealthy persons who can afford longer trips.
The expenses and risks for that insurance would not seem to justify the much higher premiums.
It means worldwide travel insurance is probably over-priced compared to Asean, which is a bargain.
What are the major items covered?
NTUC Income's Classic Plan covers medical expenses up to $250,000. It includes treatment for the H1N1 virus if contracted abroad.
Other big payments are for death, permanent disability and emergency evacuation due to accidents overseas.
Keep in mind that you may already be covered under your medical or personal accident insurance. It so, the travel insurance is less necessary.
What other claims are allowed?
You can claim up to $3,000 for loss of travel documents, $250 for loss of money and $100 for emergency phone call charges.
If you rent a car and have an accident, NTUC Income's Classic Plan will pay for the auto insurance excess (deductible) up to $500.
The policy also covers you under some highly publicised but low probability events like a terrorist attack or riots. Claims limits are $150,000 for adults and $25,000 for children.
Small but useful benefits are trip cancellation should you fall ill and up to $100 for an overbooked flight or a missed connection.
The policy will also reimburse lost baggage up to $3,000. That includes up to $500 for any one item except for a laptop computer, for which you can claim up to $1,000.
You may also claim $200 for each six-hour period of delay in receiving your baggage up to a cap of $1,000.
What are the restrictions on travel insurance?
NTUC Income's Classic Plan has the usual exclusions such as war, pre-existing illness, suicide, pregnancy and childbirth-related claims.
Generally, you must buy your policy before leaving Singapore.
It doesn't cover overseas travel to seek medical treatment.
Participation in dangerous sports is also excluded but can be added by a special extension (rider). For example, motorcycling and underwater activity can be added by paying an additional 25 per cent for each.
Are group discounts available?
Yes. NTUC Income offers them even for small groups such as a family.
The discount is 10 per cent for 3 persons and 15 per cent for 4 to 20 persons. There are further discounts for larger groups.
NTUC Income has a 24-hour hotline (9646 2663), which allows you to activate the insurance any time before your trip. Its website is www.income.com.sg.
The company says that 90 per cent of its policies are activated online or over the phone.
How much for a seven-day trip?
Asean region (NTUC Income): $30Asia region (all insurers): $40 to $48Worldwide (all insurers): $59 to $72
Asean refers to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia and Laos.

Tip 4: Qualifying child relief
QCR is $4,000 per child, which is double last year's relief. For handicapped children, it is $5,500.
Either parent may claim the full amount or it may be split between both parents.
Tip 5: Working mother child relief
For first, second and subsequent children, the relief is 15, 20 and 25 per cent of a working mother's wages. Maximum claim allowable QCR/HCR + WMCR is capped at $50,000 per child (i.e. Cumulative WMCR percentages are capped at 100% of mother's earned income).
Both this and the QCR (tip 4) can be claimed for Singaporean children up to 16 years old, or above age 16 if a full-time student with income less than $2,000 in 2008, excluding scholarships

I am very worry for many of you here. You all are simply NOT doing sufficient research and plannings on the housing loan. If you think bank loans will stay put at sub 3% for the duration of your loans, you may be in for a shocker of your lifetime. For some 20 years now, rate been on a declining trends, BUT post Sub-Prime crisis, various assets-based securitisation not longer sell, businesses are forced to cut back on leverage, and resort more and more to cash calls from shareholders (see all the Right Issues on SGX) and bank borrowings. even now, some reits and shipping trusts are having much difficulties refinancing their CMBS (commercial mortgage backed securities),
eg. see Saizen reit still trying to refinance its Shintoku CMBS, by selling down some of the properties within the package
eg. Capitaland needed yet more monies (even after the recent cash calls),
but ofcourse with Richard Hu (our former finance minister as Chairman),
Capland been fantastic at packaging it very convincinglg as IPO of CMA for growth opportunities,
bottomline is: even Capitaland also NO LONGER able to securitise its completed Malls thru CMT or CRCT at viable pricings.
that's why it now gotta IPO CMA and in process likely to playout holders of CMT and CRCT.
Current low rates are artificial, the results of gahmens trying to prevent a WW2 Great Depression,
but once economic recovery are on a firmer footings, governments the world over will withdraw credit easing ,
(last week, Australia central bank already raise rate, expect more to follow over next 12 months.)
Banks on their part will also be required to hold higher reserves, so costs of funding can only go up. - go digout KohBoonHwee's comment at DBS, and also Spore MAS statement recently. So dun expect bank mortgage rates at sub 2% to stay, the killers are those floating rate !!! be prepared to seeing your mortgage rate rising ever higher, probably over the next 3, 5 ,7 , 10 years. ==> imagine rates at 3% or 5% above whatever floating rate now !!!!, Can you still manage ??

Many of you may call me bluff - coz never heard of such thing within your lifetime yet.
and becoz so many think this is unthinkable - that's why when it come(inflationary era), it will be even more deadly.
Gold already blow thru us$1000 per oz, my dear people, and gunning higher.
us$ going for banana notes in the years ahead.
Young man and women - I'm really worry for some of you
- esp. if you dun qualify for HDB Concession Loan and gotta go for floating packages from the Banks

Putting off refinancing your mortgage could be a big mistake.

TNP Illustration: SIMON ANG
Last week, Mrs Money and I refinanced ours.
We used to live in an HDB flat and enjoyed HDB's 2.6 per cent interest. It is still the best loan deal in town.
If you have one, don't switch to a bank loan and don't even think about paying it off early.
That's because if you pay using your CPF, you are using money that earns 2.5 to 3.5 per cent interest to pay a loan that costs only 2.6 per cent. It's a bad move.
After 10 years in our beloved HDB flat, we moved to an executive condo. It is in a narrow niche between HDB and private property. Since we no longer qualify for an HDB loan, we now have to deal with the banks.
Ours had been charging us 3.5 per cent interest. Last month, the one-year lock-in ended and the bank sent a letter saying they were increasing our home loan rate to 3.75 per cent.
Whoa. I told Mrs Money: 'Something's not right here. Falling interest rates mean banks lower our fixed deposit rate. But they raise our home loan rate!'
INTEREST RATE FOR SUCKERS
I later found out 3.75 per cent is a 'sucker's' interest rate. It is for people who are told to pay more, so they do. They don't argue. They don't fight back. They don't refinance.
I called all the banks and got another surprise. They charge a lot less than the 3.75 per cent our bank was charging us.
The best deals are 'pegged rates'. They peg the interest to a benchmark like the Singapore inter-bank offer rate (Sibor) or the swap-offer rate (Sor). These rates are low and published daily in Business Times.
A typical pegged rate is the three-month Sor plus 1 per cent. Sor is now 1.35 per cent so you would pay 1.35 + 1 = 2.35 per cent per year.
I informed our bank that we would be moving our home loan to a bank charging us only 2.35 per cent.
Our bank suddenly became very friendly and offered us the same good deal.
Like magic, our home loan rate was cut almost by half, from 3.75 per cent to 2.35 per cent. Without my asking, the bank also waived its $500 loan conversion fee.
As we were leaving, I asked a throw away question: 'By the way, is that your lowest rate?'
The banker hesitated, then said: 'Actually, our lowest rate is not the 2.35 per cent you are paying. It is 2 per cent (Sor + 0.65 per cent). But it only applies to new customers. Sorry.'
I explained that I could go to another bank where I would be considered a new customer and entitled to their special rate. Our bank executive said: 'Oh... well... that's not necessary.' Then he gave us the lower home loan rate of 2 per cent.
TWO LESSONS
For me, a big lesson learnt has been that banks deal with thousands of customers. Customers, however, talk to just a few banks. It is no contest.
The banks have developed tactics that we cannot begin to match.
On the other hand, consumers are not powerless. It helps to know that other banks are hungry for our business. Competition makes the contest a bit fairer.
The second lesson is that life is unfair. It favours the rich. The lowest rates - 2 per cent - are reserved for private home loans.
For HDB flats, bank borrowers pay more. Variable rate loans start at 3.5 per cent.
Shop around and you can negotiate down to 3 per cent. With a two or three year lock-in, you can get an even lower interest rate, but not as low as for private property.

A second advantage is that a loan unlocks the cash in your home. It could come in handy, especially if we don't have the anticipated V-shaped recovery.
One more thing: Switching from an HDB loan to a bank loan looks smart on the surface, but I advise against it. If interest rates rise, bank interest rates will rise faster than HDB rates.
HDB also has a heart. It won't repossess your flat if you miss a few monthly payments. Banks are likely to do so.

Good indicator
US unemployment is a good indicator of the worldwide economy. It now sits at 9.8 per cent compared to 3.3 per cent in Singapore. We'll be out of the woods when the US unemployment rate drops below 6 per cent, but it won't be soon.
In the meantime, (i) keep your job, (ii) don't take big risks and (iii) don't lock up your money in investments that you can't touch for 20 years.
The golden rule is 'stay liquid'. You might need the cash.

Prices would come down again as they may have risen. Long-term investment doesn't mean buying high and hold it there as prices fall, but equipping yourself with the skills to enter and exit systematically, making a profit if possible and minimizing a loss if necessary, but always being able to preserve your capital, which is like your blood!

Alvin Phang blogging workshop is really a big big scam!!! I read this from this guy who attended Alvin Phang's blogging workshop in Malaysia, and turned out to be a real big scam.I went to Alvin Phang's preview in Singapore before, and he said that he is not a bullshit and really confirm to others that his blogging workshop can really make money on the internet. He even show his family photo's showing his father was in an accident and part of his father's skull was removed for repair and his father was in coma in hospital for quite sometime. Alvin Phang said that because of his family burden, he need to be an millionaire in order to support his family. I was really touched and a lot of the people there were touched too and all went up to him and talked to him about his blogging workshop and etc.A number of them signed up, but I was still thinking and decided to ask in sammyboy forums for some advice. Nobody in sammyboy forums went for Alvin Phang workshop so I wanted to play safe, I waited. And finally someone in Malaysia said this Alvin Phang blogging workshop is a scam.I really dont know why? Why all these scammers need to bring up their families sad stories to try to con others? Why? I went to Edmund Ng Singapore SEO and Internet preview, and this Edmund Ng also talk about his sad stories of his life and family, and made everyone who attended this Edmund Ng's preview felt touched and decided to take his courses too. Why all these scammers use such an unethical tactics? Why? Does it really brings good karma to the scammers who uses families and life sad stories to con others hard earned money into their pockets? After all these incidents, I do not believe all the cock and bullshit sad stories of families and suffering people anymore.Look at Sun Ho, pastor of City Harvest Church, also said wanted to use singing to save souls in China. But in the end went to USA and did anyone see her latest MTV? So is it really saving souls, or making money or what? I think only God knows.Look at Ming Yi monk, also when on TV he does all the dangerous stunts and cried on TV and asked audiences to support the poor people and in the end he uses the donations to buy properties and horses and lend it to his 'boyfriend' or 'friend' to buy a luxury car.And if the cases of using genuine families sad stories to get others to help in their bad financial conditions, I think we as human beings, we should help them. But those that uses the so called families sad stories to con others their hard earned money, I think all these scammers they should deserved to go to hell!!!So far I know of scammers now are Edmund Ng Singapore SEO expert, Alvin Phang blogger, Ewen Chia, Jo Han Mok, Stuart Tan, Clemen Chiang, and I think the next to join in the conman group might be Adam Khoo.

Freshly married DINO (Dual Incomes, No kids), all their plannings and efforts finally paying off, they moved into their brand new, well renovated flat. A few years later, became SITK (Single Income, Two kids), ...coz she quit job to look after young ones. then unplan event strike, hubby die suddenly!, over-nite became NITM (No Income, Three Mouths-to-feed). among her major regrets ? did not plan for contingency, thus taking only minimum loan and opting for short repayment period, thus exhausting most of their CPF/Cash savings in the process. Have they instead max-up on their housing loan and stretch the repayment period, HPS(Home Protection Scheme) will have pay off rest of housing loan upon his demise, and there could have been a couple hundred thousands more left, to support surviving members of family. She manage to get a job, but with two young kids, still Money No Enough, unlike with private property, - you cannot re-mortgage your HDB flat left with a small residual loan, for a larger loan, - you also cannot pledged a fully paidup flat for a fresh loan so she finally sold it, downgrade to smaller flat, choosing this time to max-up on both loan quantum and repayment period, inorder to have a higher buffer level of savings reserve, just in case kenna retrench, and overnite family again became NITM again (No Income, Three-mouths-to-feed). (above is a real life case) Morale of story: ========== For majority of Sporeans, the HDB flat is their single biggest asset, but most spend much more times planning on renovations and what appliances to buy for their new homes few gave much thoughts on how to finance their flat purchase, most simply take "lazy" approach:- "just deduct from CPF for monthly payments" - until kingdom come! fullstop. But how you plan to handle the financings, may have great impact on your family's livelihood for many more years to come. what happen if lose job and no more income ? (so better have more reserves in place) what happen if one, or sole breadwinner drops dead ? What happen when CPF dries up in year-X ? still able to fund monthly mortgage payment with CASH ? if you forsee future contingency, then it may allow allow you more time, and to take remedial actions much sooner eg. not spending a bomb to renovate like a palace, if already have little savings, or maybe even planning to sublet out a room or two, and make it self-fundings to some extent (ofcourse pls dun do anything illegal) Bottom-line ======== If you qualify for HDB Concession Loan (which had interest pegged at 0.1% above CPF Ordinary Account rate), and if you intend to stay in your flat for many more years to come, ==> then GENERALLY, it's better to go for maximum loan quantum available, and stretch to maximum repayment period (unless, you know of some very good reasons, why in your situation, you are better off not to)

The HDB Concession Loan - you are allow to take ONLY TWO such loans within your lifetime
arguably, the terms are about the best you ever find around, for a longterm housing loan.

Ofcourse also MAKE SURE your have adequate HPS cover, especially if you have a young family depending on you.

6. Cooperate with the authorities. In New York State if you are involved in a vehicle accident causing injury to person or property, you are required to stop and give your name, address, and show your driver's license and insurance identification card to the person who is injured or whose property is damaged, or to a police officer. If such information isn't available at the scene of the accident, it must be given to the nearest police station or judicial officer as soon as possible. Be sure to cooperate with the police officer investigating the case. But,stick to the facts. For instance, if you were driving 30 miles an hour, say so. Do not say, "I wasn't speeding."
7. Tell the police the truth. Do what the police tell you to do. Note the officer's name and precinct number, command, or barracks. Ask how you can get a copy of the police accident report.
8. But don't admit fault. Do not volunteer any information about who was to blame for the accident. You may think you are in the wrong and then learn that the other driver is as much or more to blame than you are. You should first talk to your insurance agent, your lawyer, or both. Anything you say to the police or the other driver can be used against you later. Do not agree to pay for damages or sign any paper except a traffic ticket until you check with your insurance company or lawyer.
9. Document what happened. Make a note of the details of the accident, including date and time, road conditions, weather conditions and speed of all other cars involved. It also is a good idea to draw a diagram of the accident showing the position and direction of the cars justprior to and after the accident: make a written description of each car, including year, make, model and color and the exact location of the collision and how it happened.
10. Take photographs. Use your camera to document the damage to all the vehicles. (Use a cell phone's camera if you have nothing else.)Make sure you photographs show how the accident happened. Take your own photographs even if the police take photographs or you believe that your mechanic or insurance company will take them.
Photograph: (a) any broken parts, inside or outside the vehicle such as dashboard, windshield, seat, broken glass or lenses, bumper that fell off, etc.; (b) vehicle license plates; (c) skid marks; (d) street signs; and, (e) injuries to persons involved in the accident. Take the photos from different angles and positions. Take more photographs than you think you'll need. ALWAYS HAVE SOMEONE WATCH FOR TRAFFIC.

The TOP 30 highest paid politicians in the world are all from Singapore:1. Elected President SR Nathan - S$3.9 million.2. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - S$3.8 million.3. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew - S$3.5 million.4. Senior Minister Goh Chok Thong - S$3.5 million.5. Senior Minister Prof Jayakumar - S$3.2 million.6. DPM & Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng - S$2.9 million.7. DPM & Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean - $2.9 million8. Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo - S$2.8 million.9. National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan - S$2.7 million.10. PMO Miniser Lim Boon Heng - S$2.7 million.11. Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang - S$2.7 million.12. PMO Minister Lim Swee Say - S$2.6 million.13. Environment Minister & Muslim Affairs Minister Dr Yaccob Ibrahim - S$2.6 million.14. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan - S$2.6 million.15. Finance Minister S Tharman - S$2.6 million.16. Education Minister & 2nd Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen - S$2.6 million.17. Community Development Youth and Sports Minister - Dr Vivian Balakrishnan - S$2.5 million.18. Transport Minister & 2nd Minister for Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim Siang Kiat - S$2.5 million.19. Law Minister & 2nd Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam - S$2.4 million.20. Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong - S$2.2 million.21. PMO Minister Lim Hwee Hwa - S$2.2 million.22. Acting ICA Minister - Lui Tuck Yew - S$2.0 million.

Very INTERESTING & INTRIGUING...Follow the trail and you will be in for a BIG SURPRISE?????A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound; a sound like no other that he has ever heard. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, We can't tell you because you're not a monk.The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of the same monastery. > > The monks again accept him, feed him, and even fix his car..> > That night, he hears the same strange mesmerizing sound that he had heard years earlier.> The next morning, he asks what the sound was, but the monks reply,We can't tell you because you're not a monk.> The man says, all right, all right. I'm dying to know.If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk?> The monks reply, you must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk.> The man sets about his task. Some forty-five years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, I have travelled the earth and devoted my life to the task demanded and have found what you had asked for. There are 371,145,236,284,232 blades of grass and 231,281,219,999,129,382 sand pebbles on the earth.> > The monks reply, congratulations, you are correct, and you are now considered a monk .We shall now show you the way to the sound.> > The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, the sound is behind that door.> > The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He asks, May I have the key ?> The monks give him the key, and he opens the door.> > Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone... The man requests the key to the stone door.> > The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He demands another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire. And so it went on until the man had gone through doors of emerald,...> >...silver, topaz, and amethyst.> Finally, the monks say, This is the key to the last door .The man is relieved to be at the end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is astonished to find the source of that strange sound. It is truly an amazing and unbelievable sight > > > > > > > > But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.DON'T SWEAR AT ME; I'M STILL HUNTING FOR THE IDIOT WHO STARTED THIS !

How To Retire - must read. Golfers included 4 Pre-Conditions for Retirement I retired in year 2000 at age 52. I am now 61, thus I can claim that I got more experience at retirement than most! I thought I should share my experience with mariners because I have seen too many friends and neighbours who became so bored that they have become a nuisance to their spouse and children and to others! A few of them have solved the problem by going back to work. They were able to do so because they have a skill/expertise that is still in demand. The rest (and many are my neighbours) live aimlessly or are waiting to die - a very sad situation, indeed. You can retire only when you fulfil these 4 pre-conditions: 1.Your children are financially independent (e.g. they got jobs) 2.You have zero liability (all your borrowings are paid up) 3.You have enough savings to support your lifestyle for the rest of your life, AND most importantly, 4.You know what you would be doing during your retirement. DO NOT retire till you meet ALL 4 Pre-Conditions. And of course you should not retire if you enjoy working and are getting paid for it! The problem cases I know of are those who failed to meet Pre-Condition #4. When asked, "What would you be doing during your retirement?" Some replied, "I will travel/cruise and see the World". They did that, some for 3 months and then ran out of ideas. The golfers replied, "I can golf every day." Most could not because they are no longer fit to play well enough to enjoy the game. Those who could, need to overcome another hurdle - they need to the find the "kakis" to play with them. It's the same with mahjong, bridge, badminton, trekking and karaoke - you need "kakis"! Most could not find others who share their favourite game and playing/singing alone is no fun. AND when they do find them, a few of them found that they are NOT welcomed like my obnoxious neighbour whom everyone avoids.. Thus if you are into group sports or games, you must form your groups BEFORE you retire. You need to identify your "kakis", play with them and discover whether they "click" with you. The less sporty "can read all the books bought over the years". I know of one guy who fell asleep after a few pages and ended up napping most of the time! He discovered that he did not like to read after all. We do change and we may not enjoy the hobbies we had.. Routine Activities To Fill Your Week For most people, your routine work activities are planned for you or dictated by others and circumstances. When you retire, you wake up to a new routine - one that you yourself have to establish as nobody else would do it for you! The routine to establish should keep your body, mind and spirit "sharpened". A good routine would comprise: a) One weekly physical sport - you need to keep fit to enjoy your retirement. If you are the non-sporty type, you should fire your maid and clean your home without mechanical aids. Dancing and baby-sitting are good alternatives. b) One weekly mind stimulating activity - e.g. writing, studying for a degree, acquiring a new skill, solving problems or puzzles, learn or teach something. You need to stimulate your mind to stay alive because the day you stop using your brain is the day you start to die. c) One weekly social activity - choose one involving lots of friends/neighbours. Get yourself accepted as a member to at least 3 interests groups. Unless you prefer to be alone, you do need friends more than ever as you get older and less fit to pursue your sport. d) One weekly community service activity - you need to give to appreciate what you have taken in this life. It's good to leave some kind of legacy. With 4 weekly activities, you got 4 days out of 7 covered. The remaining 3 days should be devoted to family related activities. In this way, you maintain a balance between amusing yourself and your family members. Any spare time should remain "spare" so that you can capitalise on opportunities that come your way like responding to an unexpected request to do a job or to take advantage of cheap fares to see places or to visit an exhibition. Mind stimulating activities Most judges live to a ripe old age. They use their brains a lot to decide on cases. I am sure MM Lee's brain works overtime. He's 80+ and still going strong. In "Today" you would have read of 2 inspiring oldies. One is a granny who learned to play the guitar at age 60 to entertain his grandchildren.
She's 70+ today and those grandchildren have grown to play with her. Another is an Indian radiologist who on retirement, qualified as an acupuncturist. He's age 77 and still offers his services (by appointment only) including free ones to those who have no income. I guaranteeyou that they are happy people who discovered a "2nd wind" to take them to the sunset with a smile on their faces. Mind stimulating activities are hard to identify. They require your will to do something useful with the rest of your life, a mindset change and the discipline to carry it through. Your Bucket List Despite your busy routine, you will at times be bored. Then it's time to turn to your Bucket List. Your bucket list contains a list of things to do before you kick the bucket. They are not routine and are usually one off activities. You need them to have something to look forward to. These include anniversaries, trips (and pilgrimages), visits to friends and relations abroad, re-doing your home, tending conferences (related to your hobbies), acquiring a new set of expertise. 4 such activities that are spaced our quarterly would be ideal. Retirement Is A Serious Business If you can afford to retire and want to, do prepare to live to your fullest. You need to be fit to enjoy it - therefore get into shape now. You do not want to get up on a Monday and wonder what to do each week, therefore identify your set of weekly routine activities now and try them out to confirm that they are the activities that you will be looking forward to doing each week, week after week. You bucket list of "rewards" or "projects" or"challenges" is needed to help you break away from the routine thereby make live worth living. Start listing what you fancy and refine it as you chug along in your retirement. You will have so much fun, you would wish you were retired since your turned 21!

The Star Online, 12 Sep 2009, Seah Chiang Nee Need to wise up quickly to the ways of the world “WE SAT through a talk yesterday on land investment in Birmingham and was shocked when my friend immediately ploughed in S$25,000 (RM60,000) to buy a 1,076 sq ft parcel,” an Internet surfer recently wrote. “It had no planning permit and might take seven years to get one,” he added. Yet she took the plunge. Why? “She was enticed by the gifts – a S$600 (RM1,440) camera, S$100 (RM240) in shopping and S$50 (RM120) in dining vouchers and two bottles of wine,” the writer explained. He was commenting on the government’s search for people with special qualities for posting in China. “They’ll be hard to find since 90% of Singaporeans – and 100% of civil servants – don’t have them; they are very naive, easy to be eaten alive unknowingly,” he concluded. I had long wondered before this case what ingredients were needed to pull off a successful scam. When I was a news editor in Hong Kong, I put this question to a retired head of a cheating syndicate called Tin Sin Kuk, which had existed among the Chinese for ages. The ring consisted of five or six men and women, who would select a victim – always a rich person – to take part in “swindling” another person, who was actually a gang member. Needless to say, the rich person himself was the target. Sitting in my Causeway Bay flat, the old man said: “For the cheating to succeed, the victim must have greed in his heart, the greater the better,” he said. “If he’s honest and not greedy, we cannot swindle him.” A little naivete helps, of course. High education is no safeguard, he added. Are Singaporeans too simple-minded – or greedy – to be able to survive unscathed in this era of sophisticated scams and financial sharks? Protected by a system of laws and a stable environment, they become vulnerable when exposed to sophisticated swindlers and Madoff-type con men. The old magic stone tricks have made way for modern online frauds, credit card cheats and money schemes in which black and white are not always distinguishable. “The average Singaporean is honest and law-abiding, and tends to think the world spins like that,” said a retired manager. “If a well-dressed Westerner spins an investment plan, he’ll likely lap it up.” As children, Singaporeans are over-protected by parents; and as adults, by strict laws. “I know of 12-year-old students who are not allowed to take a bus by themselves.” When he was commenting on reports of Singaporean businessmen being cheated in China at the time of its opening up, university researcher Wang Shouqing had said: “The Singapore company is good in a very mature environment, but not good in emerging markets.” His implication was that Singaporeans were too sheltered to be able to deal with the less scrupulous world outside. Many tend to take people’s words too much at face value. Erik Wang, Singapore’s Consul-General in Shanghai, was quoted as saying that there was a simple lesson for Singaporeans investing in China: “Know how to cheat others more than they cheat you.” Sharing the sentiments was controversial Taiwanese legislator Li Ao, who commented on TV several years ago that Singaporeans were stupid because they came from “poor genes”. He ranked them lower in natural intelligence (despite their high education) than the people of Taiwan and Hong Kong. “Taiwanese are scoundrels, but lovable, Hong Kong people are craftier, (Chinese mainlanders are unfathomable) and Singaporeans are stupider,” he said, adding that it was partially due to genetics. One Singaporean reacted: “Some Singa-poreans can be very simplistic, because we have grown up in an engineered environment. “The average Singaporean is good at academic studies and works hard, but falls short on individual initiative and street-wise qualities, relying too much on the government for help.” As affluent Singapore opens its doors wider to foreigners, it will likely attract the wrong type of people to come and work their schemes here. In recent years, cheating has been on the rise. Many originate from half a world away – through the Internet. This column has also reported on numerous cases of retirees being cheated of their savings by pretty, sweet-talking Chinese women. A recent headline said that on average at least one Singaporean falls prey to lottery scam fraudsters every day, and this remains a concern to the police. Con men sell dreams and fakes ranging from college degrees to job contracts. They organise online “auctions” and make off with people’s money. The most prevalent are lottery scams, which is a worldwide scourge. In a seven-month period there were 210 Singapore victims, cheated of S$2mil (RM4.8mil). The amount is, of course, a far cry from the US$50bil (RM175bil) that Bernard Madoff cheated Americans of, including some of the most savvy investors. Such is the sophistication of this criminal art.

If you have a family member who is very sick and it will cost $100,000 to treat the patient with a 1% chance of recovery, would you spend this money?Many people will say "yes". A human life is priceless and cannot be measured in money terms.Think again. Is the human life worth $10 million? Remember, the cost has increased 100 times due to the low chance of survival. Will the person that is saved, really enjoy life in the future? Does it matter that the patient is already elderly? Does it matter that the life that is saved will continue to suffer, due to some continuing disability?Should the $100,000 be used to look after the future well-ebing of other members of the family? Should a family suffer from a lifetime of debt, in their vain effort to save the life?It is difficult for the family to take this type of decision. They should not rely on the advice of the doctor who is treating the patient, as the doctor will have a serious conflict of interest. A large part of the money is paid for the doctor's fees.There is a need for independent, impartial medical advice. The family should be told about the likely cost, the chance of survival, and the other options (including the right to die in dignity and with love from the family). They should be counselled that they are not neglecting their duty by taking a difficult decision to safeguard the financial welfare of the living.

How happy a man is, is not how much he has but how little he needs

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvhY6DtfZs&eurl=http://ramblinglibrarian.blogspot.com/search?q%3D1938&feajture=player_embedded

19 Apr 2005 ... Government corruption declines but private sector fraud shoots up. ... Last year, a top army officer, Lt Col Ong Beng Leong, was found guilty ... He pleaded guilty to cheating four banks out of S$117mil

Ee Jin Liang (left) was jailed for four years and five months by a district court on Wednesday. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

Wow, can sleep late late, wake up late late, own time own target carry on. can go to coffee shop have a nice breakfast while looking at everyone rushing pass for work. Can take a nice walk to the library right in the middle of the day, can go to any shopping mall, and enjoy the open space shopping(very few people around). take a nice stroll at the park like its sunday everyday. Take up a hobby or a project to do, again, own time own target. Go to art centres and museum. Enjoy a afternoon movie with the almost the whole place for yourself. Sit at a coffee house at a busy point and join the many taitai enjoying the view of people going about their busy days. Have lots of time to self reflect. Take up courses that one would be too busy to take while working. No pressure from work, no boss to boss you around. no deadline to worried about. Just having financial worries only.

Borrow big to pay for your home? It may not be foolhardy
By Dennis Chan
After my last Small Change column was published, a colleague came up to me and said: 'Property isn't a high-risk investment.
'In fact, it appeals to a low-risk investor like me who doesn't know enough to invest in stocks and shares. What- ever spare cash I have, I use it to pay off my housing loan.'
I had argued in my column that property investment is a high-risk, high-reward game, using the example of a $1 million home bought with $100,000 cash and $900,000 borrowed.
If the price of the home rises by 10 per cent, it will be worth $1.1 million and the investor would have doubled his initial capital. But if it were to fall by an equal amount, his capital would have been wiped out.
So who's right?
Both of us are.
Residential property is a familiar investment to many Singaporeans since home ownership became the cornerstone of government policy in the mid-1960s.
Indeed, whether you are a sophisticated investor or one wet behind the ears, you can't go wrong buying a home as a long-term investment in land-scarce Singapore. Seen in this light, it is a safe investment.
It becomes highly risky only when one buys a second, third or fourth property leveraging on borrowings and relying substantially on rental incomes to service the loans.
On reflection, I realise there are many people like my colleague who pay down their housing loans very early, and take pride in doing so.
This sentiment is entirely understandable. Many of us take home ownership for granted, thanks to the Government's hugely successful public housing programme.
But for the older generation and the one before that, the fear of not having a roof over one's head was very real.
To them, it's an achievement to own a fully paid-up home as quickly as possible.
To these people, I say: 'Go ahead, if you can afford it.'
'What do you mean?' you may retort. 'If I take my spare cash to repay my home loan, surely I can afford it.'
Not necessarily.
There is a cost in putting too much equity into a home purchase.
To illustrate, let's take the example of two young couples - X and Y - who buy a Housing Board resale flat at the market valuation price of $500,000.
Let's assume each couple have savings totalling $150,000 in their Central Provident Fund Ordinary Accounts (OA) and a combined monthly income of $6,000. Both are are entitled to an HDB concessionary loan - currently at 2.6 per cent a year.
Under the rules, buyers are allowed to pay 10 per cent as down payment and borrow the remaining 90 per cent to finance their purchase.
Couple X, being very prudent, choose to use up all their OA balances to pay for their home. They take out a 30-year, $350,000 loan to finance the rest. For simplicity's sake, let's assume the entire $150,000 goes towards paying the down payment. In reality, the actual amount will be less, minus the money to pay stamp duty, home protection scheme insurance and legal fees.
Couple Y, being more gung-ho, decide to pay the minimum down payment of 10 per cent, which works out to $50,000. They, too, take a 30-year loan but for a higher amount of $450,000.
Using a financial calculator, Couple X and Couple Y's monthly loan instalments work out to about $1,400 and $1,800 respectively.
Couple X's monthly CPF OA contribution totalling $1,380 is almost just about able to cover fully their monthly instalment whereas Couple Y would have to top up an additional $420 in cash.
At the end of 30 years, Couple X will have paid a total of $504,000 to repay their $350,000 loan whereas Couple Y will have coughed out $648,000 on their $450,000 loan.
Interest charges by Couple X and Couple Y over this period work out to $154,000 and $198,000 respectively.
On the face of it, Couple X seem far better off. Their monthly repayment is lower and they incur $44,000 less in interest charges.
On closer inspection, the benefits of borrowing less are not that clear cut.
Firstly, one needs to take into account that Couple Y kept $100,000 of their OAs from the start. This means they get to earn annual interest income, which Couple X will forgo until their CPF contributions from income accumulate again.
Interest payment for OA balances is 2.5 per cent a year. For the first $20,000, a higher interest of 3.5 per cent applies.
Insofar as the first $20,000 is concerned, it is better to leave the money untouched and earning 3.5 per cent a year than to use it to pay off an HDB loan that charges 2.6 per cent per annum.
As for amounts greater than $20,000, one doesn't lose much either since the difference between interest payable on an HDB loan and earned for money kept in the OA is a mere 0.1 percentage point (2.6 per cent - 2.5 per cent).
Secondly, keeping substantial savings in the OA can be an important buffer to cope with a temporary loss of income.
The sum of $100,000 is equivalent to five years' worth of monthly repayments. So even if one or both persons who make up Couple Y were to stop working for some reason or quit to start a family or take a sabbatical, they can continue to service their loan entirely from their OAs for about five years while looking for their next job.
Couple X, on the other hand, will have no such luxury. They will be forced to tap their cash savings immediately in similar circumstances.
Thirdly, having some spare savings in the OA opens up investment opportunities and flexibility.
Bear in mind that the HDB loan at 2.6 per cent is really cheap money.
Last year, insurer Aviva offered an endowment plan called Big e that paid up to 3.5 per cent in interest a year. The plan, which guaranteed a return higher than 2.5 per cent, has since been discontinued.
However, such opportunities that offer low-risk returns based on positive interest differential (3.5 per cent - 2.6 per cent) can be expected to surface from time to time.
For those with a higher risk appetite, there are also numerous CPF-approved investments that have a track record of generating annual returns in excess of 5 per cent over the mid to long term.
Although I used the HDB flat purchase as an example, the argument is also valid for private property purchases, given the current low interest rate environment.
Fourthly, if your flat is rented out, you can apply to the taxman to offset your rental income with the interest paid on the loan. So the bigger the loan amount, the higher will be the interest offset.
Finally, if all else fails and there is no reasonable opportunity to earn a better return, there is always the option of using your OA balance to pay down your housing debt at any time.
Bear in mind this option is irreversible. You can pay down a housing loan but you cannot top it up.
Do note that if you take an HDB loan, you must 'invest' your excess OA balance before your first appointment with the board.
That is because HDB will exhaust your OA for down payment - minus the amount for stamp duty, legal fees and home protection insurance - before granting you a loan.
In the earlier example, Couple Y would have to withdraw from their OAs the sum of $100,000 - or an appropriate amount after taking into account the 10 per cent down payment and ancillary charges - and put it into a CPF-approved investment.
If the investment is meant to be a temporary one, choosing a low-risk, low-return fund like DBS Enhanced Income Fund would be appropriate.
After the first appointment, you may liquidate the investment and return the proceeds to your OA.
Be aware that this 'round tripping' is not cost free as agent bank fees and sales charges apply. These charges are nominal though.
To sum up, taking on a big housing debt is not necessarily a bad thing. In certain circumstances, it may even be the prudent thing to do.
Whether you choose to be Couple X or Couple Y, you must do your sums and feel comfortable with the plan.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on August 3, 2008.

Justice Choo Han Teck in the sentencing of Shin Min editor
Lim Hong Eng

The 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit:
Love
Joy
Peace

kindness
Patient
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control(anger,gaming)

"While I was fishing at Panxi, I realised one truth- if you want to succeed you need to be patient . We must wait for the appropriate opportunity to

Panoramic views of the Singapore skyline. Who needs the Singapore Flyer?

Cancer Facts Part #1
Every person has cancer cells in the body.These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.
Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.
When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.
When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.
To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.
Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.
Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.
Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.
When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.
Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.
An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.
Cancel Cells Feed On
Sugar, is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg’s aminos or sea salt.
Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus .By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk cancer cells are being starved.
Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful,especially to people with cancer.
A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).
Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water- best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.
Cancer Facts Part #2
Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.
Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.
Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor ssence,Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins,minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body’s normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.
Cancer is a disease of the mind,body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un forgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.
Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.
John Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
No plastic containers in micro
No water bottles in freezer
No plastic wrap in microwave
Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don’t freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at CastleHospital was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food.
You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn’t bad but you don’t know what is in the paper. It’s just safer to use tempered glass, CorningWare, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead